NORTH CAROLINA GENERAL ASSEMBLY

1975 SESSION

CHAPTER 182

HOUSE BILL 300

AN ACT TO PROHIBIT THE TRANSPORTATION OF COPPER WITHOUT DOCUMENTATION OF ORIGIN.

The General Assembly of North Carolina enacts:

Section 1.  Article 1 of Chapter 66 of the General Statutes is amended by adding a new section to read as follows:

"§ 66-11.1.  Transportation of copper. — It shall be unlawful for any person to transport or have in his possession on highways of this State, in any vehicle other than a vehicle used in the ordinary course of business for the purpose of transporting such copper, an amount of such copper of an aggregate weight of more than 25 pounds, unless such person shall have in his possession (1) a bill of sale pertaining to such copper signed by (a) a holder of a sales and use tax registration number from the North Carolina Department of Revenue; or (b) an authorized wholesaler engaged in the sale of such copper; or (c) a registered dealer in scrap metals; or (d) a seller of antiques or objects of art; or (2) in the event the person from whom such copper was purchased was other than one of the above enumerated persons or firms, a certificate of origin signed by the sheriff, or his designated representative, of the county in which the purchase was made. Such bill of sale or certificate of origin shall clearly identify the material to which it applies and show thereon the name and address of the j seller, license plate of the vehicle in which such material is delivered to the i purchaser, identified by license number, year and state of issue, the name and ' address of the purchaser, the date of sale, and the type and amount of such copper purchased.

Any person violating the provisions of this subsection shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and upon conviction shall be fined not more than five hundred dollars ($500.00) or be imprisoned for not more than six months."

Sec. 2.  G.S. 66-11, as found in the 1974 Cumulative Supplement to Volume 2C of the General Statutes, is amended by inserting on line 4 after the words "by the communication" the words "or electric utility".

Sec. 3.  Article 16 of Chapter 14 of the General Statutes as the same appears in the 1969 Replacement Volume 1B is hereby amended to include the following new section:

"14.72.3. For criminal offenses involving the transportation of copper see G.S. 66‑11.1."

Sec. 4.  This act shall become effective July 1, 1975.

In the General Assembly read three times and ratified, this the 29th day of April, 1975.